Buffing wheel



Oct. 31, 1967 H. J. MCALEER 3,349,424

BUFFI NG WHEEL Filed March 1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l HTTdT/VEKS.

Filed March 1, 1965 Oct. 31, 1967 H. J. MCALEER 3,349,424

BUFFING WHEEL 2 sheets-sheet z I NVEN TOR.

/7 Tra/T'NEKS.

United States Patent C) 3,349,424 BUFFING WHEEL Howard J. McAleer, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Formax Manufacturing Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 435,866 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-230.14)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A finger type bulling wheel in which each of the lingers has a core and a wrapper covering the core with the Wrapper having a liap overlapping an adjacent linger with the lingers being connected by stitching extending through the core and the wrapper.

The present invention relates to buliing wheels, and more particularly to buliing wheels of the linger type.

In the past, linger type buliing Wheels have been constructed with the lingers secured together at their radially inner ends and with the lingers being maintained separately from each other in a radially outward direction such that the individual lingers can llex independently of one another (i.e., as for example in the patent to Churchill N o. 2,724,937). With such flexibility, however, the cutting action of the wheel is somewhat impeded since there is a tendency to perform the work along the sides of the lingers rather than at the peripheral radially outer edge. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved linger type buliing wheel in which-the work is performed substantially at the radially outer peripheral edges of the lingers.""\

It is another object of the a linger type buliing wheel action.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a linger type bufling wheel embodying the features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged, sectional view of the wheel of FIGURE 1 taken substantially along the line 2 2;

FIGURE 3 is a partial view, similar to that of FIG- URE 1, of the rlinger type buliing Wheel of FIGURE 1 prior to linal connection of the individual fingers;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the portion of the Wheel of FIGURE 3 generally enclosed within the dot-dash line indicated by the numeral 4; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the linger type bulling Wheel taken along the line 5 5 in FIGURE 4.

Considering first the construction of the buliing wheel prior to assembly, and looking now to FIGURES 3-5, a linger type buliing Wheel is generally indicated by the numeral and includes a plurality of identical fingers 12 which are secured at one end to a generally annular retainer ring 15 so as to extend radially outwardly therefrom and to be spaced circumferentially thereabout. As can be seen from FIGURE 5, two side-by-side rows of lingers 12 are provided. Each of the lingers 12 is constructed with a core 14 which, in the preferred form, is made up of a plurality of individually twisted sisal libers or cords which are generally twisted about each other in a manner as shown in FIGURE 4. Other types of materials or fibers may be utilized. The core 14 is encased in a cloth wrapper 18 which is made from a llat piece of material sewn as along the line 20 to thereby longitudinally cover the core 14. The Wrapper can be made of cotpresent invention to provide having an improved cutting ton or other suitable material. For a purpose to be presently understood, the Wrapper 18 is provided with an excess of material to define a llap 22 which extends generally circumferentially from one end of the case 18. Note that all of the flaps 22 extend generally in the same direction and are located at the same side of the fingers 12.

As shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, the lingers 12 are secured together at their radially innermost ends by the annular retainer ring 15 and at this stage in the construction are individually flexible. However, in order to provide for more aggressive cutting or working action and in order to provide that the Work be performed at the radially outer peripheral edge of the buliing wheel 10, the individual lingers 12 are sewn together in the manner as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 by means of a spiral stitch 24 which commences proximate the ring 15 and terminates near the outer ends of the lingers 12; thus the adjacent ones of the fingers 12 are held together for substantially their entire lengths. Note that the liaps 22 of adjacent lingers 14 overlap adjacent fingers such that the stitching will occur not only through the core 14 for each of the individual lingers 12, but also through the flaps 22 of the adjacent lingers 12. The flap 22 therefore provides means whereby a good stitching bond can ybe maintained between adjacent lingers 12. If the liaps 22 were not provided, the individual lingers would be held together generally only by the stitching thread overlapping adjacent fingers 12. It can be appreciated that, with the construction as shown in FIGURES l and 2, a strong connection is provided between adjacent fingers 12. Note also that the additional bulk provided by the flaps 22 iS useful, since the flaps 22 in the preferred form would be a cotton fabric and hence be substantially more absorptive than the sisal cord whereby more working compound could be held by the work wheel 10.

It should be noted that while the individual fingers 12 are stitched together, they are stitched at spaced intervals as indicated by the spiral stitch 24 and hence a degree of individual flexibility is still maintained. It can be appreciated, however, that the stiffness of the wheel in general has been increased over a linger type buliing wheel in which the lingers are free to move independently of each other and, in this regard, it should also be noted that the individual rows of fingers 12 cannot rrive or split away from each other in an axial direction, thereby further encouraging the working of the wheel 10 t0 occur at the outer edges of fingers 12.

While it will be apparent that the preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed is Well calculated to fullill the -objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope of fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A bulling wheel comprising: annular retainer means for securing a plurality of fingers, at least two rows of said plurality of individual lingers peripherally secured to said retainer means and circumferentially spaced thereabout and etxending radially outwardly therefrom, each of said lingers comprising a longitudinally extending core formed of a plurality of strands and a wrapper longitudinally encasing said core, each said wrapper having a tubular portion enclosing said core and a flap extending circumferentially and located in general overlapping relation with an adjacent linger of the same row, each of said lingers of at least one of said rows having said flap extending circumferentially between adjacent rows, and means comprising stitching for securing adjacent ones of said linger together for substantiallyV their entire lengths with said stitching connecting said liap and said adjacent ones of said lingers.

2. A bufng wheel comprising: annular retainer means for securing a plurality of lingers, at least two rows of said plurality of individual lingers peripherally secured to said retainer means and circumferentially spaced thereabout and extending radially outwardly therefrom, each of said lingers comprising a longitudinally extending core formed of a plurality of strands and a wrapper longitudinally encasing said core, each said wrapper having a tubular portion enclosing said core and a ap extending circumferentially between adjacent rows for substatntially the length of said wrapper with said flap located in general overlapping relation with an adjacent finger of the same row, and means comprising circumferentially extending, radially spaced stitching for securing adjacent ones of said lingers together for substantially their entire lengths with said stitching connecting said liap and said adjacent ones of said iingers.

3. A buing wheel comprising: annular retainer means for securing a plurality of fingers, at least two rows of said plurality of individual fingers peripherally secured to said retainer means and circumferentially spaced thereabout and extending radially outwardly therefrom, each of said lingers comprising a longitudinally extending core formed of a plurality of strands and a wrapper longitudinally encasing said core, each said wrapper having a tubular portion enclosing-said core and a flap extending circumferentially between adjacent rows for substantially the length of said wrapper with said ap located in general overlapping relation with an adjacent linger of the same row, and means comprising spirally, circumferentially extending stitching for securing adjacent ones of said ngers together for substantially their entire lengths with said stitching connecting said flap and said adjacent ones of said lingers, said stitching extending from a point proximate said retainer to a point proximate the radially outer edges of said lingers in a plurality of convolutions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,926,812 9/1933 McGrady et al 15-230.l5 2,493,791 1/1950 Walling 15--230.15 2,913,856 11/1959 Carlton l5-230.15 3,026,654 3/1962 Petersen l5-230.l5

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,342,0'40 9/ 1963 France.

DANIEL BLUM, vPrimary Examiner. 

1. A BUFFING WHEEL COMPRISING: ANNULAR RETAINER MEANS FOR SECURING A PLURALITY OF FINGERS, AT LEAST TWO ROWS OF SAID PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL FINGERS PERIPHERALLY SECURED TO SAID RETAINER MEANS AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED THEREABOUT AND EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, EACH OF SAID FINGERS COMPRISING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CORE FORMED OF A PLURALITY OF STRANDS AND A WRAPPER LONGITUDINALLY ENCASING SAID CORE, EACH SAID WRAPPER HAVING A TUBULAR PORTION ENCLOSING SAID CORE AND A FLAP EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY AND LOCATED IN GENERAL OVERLAPPING RELATION WITH AN ADJACENT FINGER OF THE SAME ROW, EACH OF SAID FINGERS OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID ROWS HAVING SAID FLAP EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY BETWEEN ADJACENT ROWS, AND MEANS COMPRISING STITCHING FOR SECURING ADJACENT ONES OF SAID FINGER TOGETHER FOR SUBSTANTIALLY THEIR ENTIRE LENGTHS WITH SAID STITCHING CONNECTING SAID FLAP AND SAID ADJACENT ONES OF SAID FINGERS. 